Penance
by Perse
Summary: “Severus Snape has both a tender side and a protective one. It is simply rare for people outside of Slytherin to see either.” As Snape tends to an injured Draco, both teacher and student show a different side to their personalities.


Title: Penance

Author: Perse

Rating: PG-13

Category: angst, drama

Summary: "Severus Snape has both a tender side and a protective one. It is simply rare for people outside of Slytherin to see either." As Snape tends to an injured Draco, both teacher and student show a different side to their personalities.

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of _Harry Potter_ do not belong to me. I make no money from this story. Please don't sue.

Author's Note: This takes place in _Goblet of Fire_ after the infamous ferret scene. I couldn't help wondering how Snape would react when Moody dragged his favorite student into his office after the incident. This is the result of that wondering. It is not intended as slash. It's also my first attempt at this fandom, so please be gentle!

Warnings: discussions of child abuse

A loud banging that was presumably some kind of knock preceded the opening door by only a few seconds. A scowl crossed Professor Snape's face as he looked up from his work. He was trying to get this finished before heading up to dinner and did not appreciate the intrusion. When he saw who his visitor was, the scowl only deepened.

"Professor Moody," he intoned, trying to infuse some amount of respect. He didn't think he'd succeeded. "What can I do for you?"

"Professor Snape." Moody didn't bother faking respect, he just went straight to the point. "We had a little incident."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "We?"

At this Moody's eye rolled back, presumably to look behind him, and Severus realized that the ex-auror had a student in tow. Moody reached back and grabbed a wrist, dragging the boy forward. Severus wasn't all that surprised to see that it was Draco Malfoy. What _did_ surprise him was the boy's appearance. His hair was mussed, his robe askew, and...were those bruises forming on his face?

Snape stood, quickly making his way around the desk. Draco promptly stepped away from Moody and came to him, as if seeking protection. But he wasn't indignant and making excuses as Snape might have expected. Instead, he was silent and kept his eyes focused on the floor. There was an air of fear about him that Severus didn't like one bit.

"What happened?" He directed the curt question to Moody.

"I caught him trying to curse Potter. And while the boy's back was turned, no less."

Severus sighed. "That's not terribly unusual," he conceded blandly, looking not at Moody but at his student.

Despite his detached words, his touch was gentle as he tipped Draco's face up into the light. The boy met his eyes for only a split second, but it was long enough for Severus to see that they were filled with unshed tears.

That threw him for a moment; Draco did _not_ cry easily.

Hoping to chalk it up to pain, he lightly ran a finger over the worst of the marks on the boy's face. Draco flinched slightly, and Severus released him. "And how did these bruises occur? I somehow cannot see you and Potter resorting to a fistfight, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco didn't respond. Moody answered for him with a half-hidden smirk, "He tried to run away."

Draco took to looking at the floor again, his cheeks burning with humiliation.

"From Potter?" Severus asked in disbelief.

"No. From me. 'Course, I'd run too if I suddenly found myself with four legs and fur," he said with a small chuckle.

Snape was getting a very bad feeling about this situation. He stepped forward, unconsciously placing himself between Moody and Draco. "Moody, what did you do?"

"Turned him into a ferret," he responded casually. Snape stared at him in shock. It was obvious that Moody found the whole thing quite clever and rather amusing. With a wink he added, "I expect he will think twice before he tries that again."

Snape shut his eyes for a moment, trying to squelch the anger that he really couldn't afford to vent at this man. "We do not use transfiguration as a punishment at Hogwarts," he finally said through clenched teeth.

"Yes, I was informed. Pity if you asked me...might teach them some respect."

If Severus were being honest, he would have to admit to having entertained the same thought a time or two with a few choice students. But he'd never actually done it, and there was a bigger issue here. "And the bruises? Are they teaching him something?"

"I told ya,' he tried to run away."

"So you...what? Slammed him into a wall?"

"Bounced him on the floor, actually." He paused, then added musingly, "Turns out ferrets don't bounce all that well."

The flippant attitude was the last straw. Snape gave up on control. Dark eyes flashing dangerously he said, "We do not _ever_ abuse the students, no matter what they have done!" Barely contained fury made the words tremble.

Moody did not seem alarmed. He scoffed, "You call this abuse?"

"If there are marks on the child, and you put them there, then I call it abuse."

Moody chuckled. "You're taking this entirely too seriously."

"Well, perhaps I am interpreting it wrong. It seems to me that you made him helpless, and proceeded to attack him." Snape sneered, stepping closer and lowering his voice dangerously. "I thought aurors had higher morals than that."

The humor vanished as something close to a sneer twisted Moody's face. "Such passion. Tell me, Severus, if the boys' positions were reversed and I had punished Potter in this manner, would you still be so adamant?"

Snape didn't even hesitate. "Yes."

Behind him, Draco's head popped up in surprise. Neither adult noticed.

"Really. And to think, I never would have pegged you as a caring and dedicated teacher."

Snape didn't bother addressing the characterization itself. "You never knew me that well, Moody."

Moody smirked. "Look, I simply punished a child who was breaking the rules." His eye swiveled slightly to focus on Draco. "This particular child needs it. If you're not careful, he'll turn out just like his dear old dad."

Severus heard Draco draw in a sharp, pained breath. It fueled his anger. "Lucius Malfoy was cleared, as I'm sure you'll recall," he put in coolly.

"A lot of people were cleared, Snape."

They stared at each other. The implication was blatantly obvious, though Snape wasn't about to dignify it with an argument. He also sensed a clear threat behind the words. Moody held his eyes, not about to back down. It was the first time since his arrival at Hogwarts that Snape had seen both of his eyes focused together.

For a fleeting second, he fervently wished that Draco wasn't watching this. He realized that he needed to see to the boy; with those bruises on his face there was no telling what the rest of his body might look like. So, though he knew it was a symbol of defeat, Severus looked away first.

"He is not his father," he put in quietly.

"No. Not yet." Clearly pleased at what he perceived as a victory, Moody had apparently decided that he was done here. He turned to go, but not before adding, "Since you disapprove of my method, I trust you'll take care of his punishment?"

Snape bristled, fighting down his anger again. "I believe the punishment has been more than accounted for. I will take care of my student. In the future, perhaps it would be best if you brought him to me first."

"I will..._try_ to remember that." Moody tilted his head in a mockery of politeness. "Good day." He turned, making a dramatic exit.

Snape waited until he was out of sight before slamming the door behind him, using it as an outlet. He had to stand facing it for a moment, eyes shut, to allow his anger to die down before turning back to Draco.

The blonde teenager was staring at him, though he quickly looked away when caught. "I'm sorry, Professor," he mumbled, so softly that Snape had to strain to hear it.

Severus froze and stared at him. It was certainly wrong for an underage wizard to be cursing a fellow student in the hallway, especially when the other student had his back turned. But, wrong though it had been, Draco normally wouldn't have been caught dead apologizing for it. And there was certainly no call to apologize to him. It only served to worry him, and to further fuel his anger at Moody.

"How badly are you hurt?" he asked bluntly, approaching his student again.

Draco shrugged.

Though he wasn't mad at the teenager, his patience was every thin. He snapped, "Mr. Malfoy, I need to know if you will require the hospital wing."

That brought a reaction. "No! No...please. I'm okay."

First a 'sorry,' now a 'please'...and the boy still wouldn't meet his eyes. Clearly, Draco had been very shaken by this.

It was also clear that Draco was humiliated and probably didn't want to see anyone else in this state.

"You are not okay," he informed the boy, somewhat more harshly than he had meant to. He took a deep breath, willing himself not to let Draco catch the brunt of his anger over this incident, before instructing, "Come with me."

He kept some ready-made salves and potions in his personal quarters where they were less accessible to the students. He also had a couch that would be much more comfortable for the injured boy. Draco trailed him the short distance from his office without a word. Severus delivered the password and escorted him inside. He led him to the couch and instructed him to remove his robe.

Draco was quiet and almost completely submissive. It was unnerving to see the normally cocky teenager in such a state. Snape had only witnessed it a few times, but it always made his heart twist. It didn't typically occur here at school, out of the physical reach of Lucius Malfoy.

He looked very small, sitting on Snape's couch in his white dress shirt and skewed tie with blond hair hanging in his eyes. As Snape sat down beside him, he couldn't help reaching to gently smooth back a few strands of hair. The gesture prompted Draco to look up at him. "Where are you hurting?" Severus asked quietly.

"My back and chest, mostly," he answered faintly. "Nothing serious, just sore."

Despite the answer, Snape reached to feel along the rib cage for any sign of breaks. His ribs felt normal, but Draco tensed in a way that told him there must be significant bruising on the surface. Pulling back, he asked seriously, "Are you certain there is no internal pain?"

Draco nodded. "I'm sure."

"All right. Take off the shirt and let me see."

It was a struggle, but after Severus helped him with the tie, Draco managed to get the shirt off on his own. Snape winced when he finally got a look at the damage. Draco's skin was so naturally pale that the bruises already stood out starkly. His chest was a myriad of colors, mostly bruising, along with some small cuts and abrasions that had bled a little.

As Severus stood to retrieve a salve, Draco eased back to lean against the couch cushions. He winced as his skin made contact with the fabric, then squirmed in search of a comfortable position. On his way back to the couch, Snape grabbed a blanket off the back of the nearby chair. Before sitting down again, he motioned for Draco to lean forward and slipped the soft cloth behind him. Draco cast him a grateful look as he slowly relaxed.

Snape wished it was that easy. This was going to be rather painful until the salve began to work. As he dipped his fingers into the creamy substance he spoke, "Draco, I do not expect you and Potter to be friends. But you cannot go around trying to kill him in front of other professors."

A trace of the typical fire lit the blue eyes. "I wasn't—"he broke off with a gasp. Severus had just made contact with a deep bruise on his shoulder and begun rubbing in the salve.

"Sorry," he said softly, but continued rubbing.

"No...it was than I expected," Draco finished rather lamely. He looked away, wincing silently.

"It's all right. I know it hurts."

Draco shook his head slightly, keeping the stony façade as he focused on some spot across the room. It wasn't all right in his mind. He'd grown up with a very specific lesson drilled into his mind: weakness was bad. Showing it was a punishable offense.

Such an ingrained reflex was not easily overcome. Severus continued to work as gently as possible, trying not to show any of the negative emotions coursing through him. He had to remind Draco that he was safe here if he wanted the boy to open up at all. So he didn't push or speak at all, even as he sensed Draco's eyes come back to rest on him.

After a few minutes of silence, Draco finally spoke. "Did you mean what you said? About being just as upset if Potter were in my position?" Now there was Draco's normal persona. He was incapable of saying Potter's name without a sneer.

Snape answered casually. "If it had been Potter, I doubt anyone would have asked my opinion." Draco gave him a frustrated look, to which he caught his eyes and said seriously, "I wouldn't approve of this for anyone, even Potter."

Draco nodded, but seemed even more depressed than he had a few seconds before. Severus frowned, then with a slight shock figured out why.

Draco trusted him. Because Severus knew Lucius as he did, he had allowed himself to get attached to the boy when he was very young. Protecting this innocence had become a part of his self-prescribed penance. And yes, Severus Snape did have both a tender side and a protective one. It was simply rare for people outside of Slytherin to see either.

Draco knew that he was favored, knew that he occupied a special position in Snape's life. But he also hated Harry Potter, and thought that his Professor shared that hatred. Yet Snape had essentially just put them on the same level, which didn't seem to bode well for his own position in Severus' life.

With one finger Snape reached out and lifted Draco's chin, holding eye contact. "Although Potter is far from my favorite student," he paused, making sure that Draco understood the implication before continuing, "no one deserves that kind of treatment." He hesitated a moment, then added, "Especially from someone entrusted with their care."

Draco had almost managed a small smile at the 'favorite student' comment, but it disappeared again as he looked away. For all of the bragging he did to everyone else about his father's power, he hated discussing his actual relationship with the man. No matter what Snape said, no matter what Lucius did, Draco held onto his love for the man and the idea that in some way he was loved in return. Severus was terrified that he would keep trying to earn that love, by whatever means necessary, right up until the day it got him killed.

Severus sighed but released his chin, letting it go for the moment. Internally, however, his anger at Moody soared, blending with his continuous ill will towards Lucius Malfoy. He went back to rubbing in the salve. To distract both himself and Draco, he changed the subject. "May I ask how this argument started?"

With a grimace that probably wasn't completely due to the pain Draco admitted, "I said something about Weasley's mother."

"And?"

"And then Potter jumped in to defend him, and he said something about _my_ mother, and then just turned his back on me, so..." he trailed off. Severus already knew the rest of the story. Though, quite frankly, he was a little surprised that Draco had felt so compelled to stand up for his mother. That wasn't exactly a stellar relationship either.

There were a few minutes of silence in which Severus finished with the salve on his chest. Before asking Draco to turn around, he sat the salve aside and looked at the boy seriously. "I want you to steer clear of Moody. He is a personal friend of Dumbledore's, and I cannot—"he broke off, unwilling to state that should the boy do something stupid, he might not be able to protect him from Moody. He hated that it was true.

Apparently, Draco understood the words that he hadn't said. He nodded slowly. "I will."

Snape met his eyes and nodded as well. "All right, then. Let me see to you back."

Draco suddenly seemed very reluctant. But, with a resigned sigh, he slowly shifted around and turned his back to his Professor.

And Snape froze, staring at his student. "Draco..." he whispered in dismay. Most of the wounds were fresh and small abrasions and bruising, much like the ones on his chest. But some were a bit older. They had started to heal, but they were much larger and deeper than the new ones and had obviously been painful. With school only a few days into the new term, Snape had no doubt where the older ones had come from. He reached out to lightly touch the marred skin. Draco flinched. Severus gently took his shoulders, turning him back to face him. "Why didn't you come to me?" he asked softly.

A single tear made its way down a pale cheek. Draco valiantly ignored it. "They're healing on their own," he said defensively. Then, in a quieter voice, "There was nothing you could have done." That triggered another tear, which he hurried to wipe away. Unfortunately there were more to take its place.

Severus' heart twisted painfully. Acting on instinct, he cautiously reached for Draco. The blonde met his eyes for a heartbeat, then came to him willingly.

He wasn't typically affectionate, even with his Slytherins. It just wasn't in his nature. But with this one, he allowed it. Draco had never had much affection from anyone else, and Snape had determined long ago that he was going to try to fill some of the holes in this child's life.

So he allowed Draco to lean against him, face pressed against his neck, as he gently rubbed the salve over the bruises and cuts on the boy's back. He hesitated a moment at the few long, deeper welts before forcing his fingers to keep moving. He was very conscious of the wetness trickling down his neck, despite the fact that he could feel Draco's eyes screwed up tightly in an attempt to stem the falling tears.

He finished with the salve, but didn't move. He simply held the teenager until Draco had gotten his tears under control and pulled away on his own, albeit somewhat reluctantly. He sniffed and wiped his face with a palm, wincing as he made contact with the bruises there.

Severus dipped his fingers into the salve one last time. With his clean hand he caught Draco's, pulling it away from his face so that he could smooth the substance in. In the process he wiped away the tears himself. Draco shut his eyes, clearly ashamed.

"It's okay," Severus offered softly as he pulled away. Draco opened his eyes and met his tentatively, then nodded unconvincingly. Snape sighed. This was certainly not a problem that would be solved tonight—he could only hope it would be solved eventually. Standing, he informed the boy, "I want you to stay here tonight so I can keep an eye on you." He moved away for a moment, replacing the salve and retrieving a sleeping potion. He paused as he got back to Draco. "Did you get to eat dinner?"

"No. But I'm not really hungry now," he hastened to add.

Severus, doubting that Draco would be able to keep much down at the moment anyway, didn't press the matter. He sat down beside him once more and offered him the vial. Draco swallowed in two gulps, making a face as he did so. Knowing that the taste did leave something to be desired, Snape couldn't help but smile as Draco handed the empty vial back. Draco rolled his eyes, smiling slightly himself.

And then he fell asleep, lips still quirked into the small smile. It was a powerful potion, but on his empty stomach it seemed to have worked even faster than normal.

Severus carefully reached for him, lowering him to the couch and then moving to shift his legs up as well. The blonde whimpered softly, prompting Severus to lean close and lay a steadying hand on his chest. "Shh...I'm not going anywhere. You are safe."

Draco quieted again, having never fully woken, and slipped back into a restful sleep. Severus carefully stood, retrieving the blanket from the back of the couch and covering the boy.

In the midst of maneuvering Draco, his sleeve had been pushed up to his elbow. He stared at the dark mark for a moment, wondering if it was a trick of the light of if the thing really was clearer than it had been just a few days before.

Something was coming. He could feel it. And he dreaded it.

The darkness that he had given into so many years ago had never completely retreated for him. He accepted it as a part of his life, and yet he hated it. He hated the effects of that darkness on everything it touched. Hated what it had done to this child, and all that it could still do to him.

Hated what he had allowed it to do to himself...

With more tenderness than most people would think him capable of, he reached out to brush a tendril of hair out of Draco's face. The blonde stirred, leaning into his touch. Despite everything there was still an innocence in him, something worth protecting. And in that moment, Snape swore to himself that he wouldn't let Draco repeat his mistakes.

There was no doubt that he owed penance for his sins. But despite his position as a spy, he wasn't foolish enough to think that he could save the world.

But he was going to do everything in his power to save this one.


End file.
